Absence
by Clogallie
Summary: Because it's true when they say absence makes the heart grow fonder.


**Love**

_.. absence makes the heart grow fonder . . ._

They had done it. They had gotten through all obstacles that had hindered their love. They had healed damaged dreams, they had filled hollow hearts, and they had mended shattered souls. While he was off in Europe searching for the man who had haunted him since his childhood, she was waiting in a quiet city in Japan, preparing for his return. They sent letters to each other, feeling that the vintage way of keeping in touch made their love seem ever the more durable and strong. He had sometimes faltered, she had frequently doubted, but in the end, they both remained true and faithful to their heart's desire. They were both stubborn people who knew exactly what they wanted, and they would fight till their deaths for it.

They each remembered that fateful day of their reunion. She observed how he seemed to stand even straighter than ever, his fingers tightly grasping the white strap holding his violin. He noticed the makeup that had highlighted the best features of her face, especially the twinkle in her bright golden eyes. Both had spent forever picturing this day. She had stayed up nights wondering how he was going to sweep her off her feet and shower her with words of praise and love. He had imagined her putting up her indifferent front until she finally cracked under his constant teasing. Neither had expected the dead silence (between them) that seemed suffocating at the least.

"Well, why don't we get going?" Utau said—or maybe it had been Tadase? Whoever it was didn't matter much. One blonde grabbed his suitcase, and the other helped carry his violin (after constant persuasion, he had finally succumbed). She could only stare at how effortless it seemed for him to strut around the airport as if he had never left. He could not stand the silence between them and waited for her to ask him a question, insult him—to do _something_ to him!

"Ikuto," the older blonde woman greeted him with a heartwarming embrace. In the very back of her mind where her fantasies frequently ran wild, she had imagined that the first word he would've muttered once he got back was her name. Reality once again reminded her why that remained as a figment of her imagination when he softly murmured, "I'm back, Mom." However, all she really needed to hear was his voice. It was the same, perhaps a tad deeper and smoother, but still his voice nevertheless. He had imagined that she would be the one to crack under the silence first, unable to bear the tension. However, he is the one who speaks prior to her, albeit to his mother. He longed to hear her voice, wondered if it had changed, wondered what it _exactly sounded like_, since it had been four whole years during which he hadn't heard her speak.

During the whole trip home, neither spared the other a glance.

They were accompanied by Tadase, Utau, and Souko Hoshina to Souko Hoshina's household. Utau had long moved out to be on her own, so Souko Hoshina had been left with a big house as empty as her heart.

He was allocated to a room specially reserved for him, the wallpaper a faint blue, the clean bed sheets freshly pressed. His suitcase was placed right next to his bed, his violin safely in his arms. Each individually asked for excusal: one to cook, one to sing, one to spread the news. That just left them two in the room.

She bit the bottom of her lip, refusing to speak first (even though he had already spoke). He marveled at the beauty of such a small habit of hers (it was something he couldn't know about through the letters they wrote to each other). A lengthy staring contest began. With stubborn people, it could potentially last forever.

Neither expected it when both of them burst out speaking in the same time.

"I missed you."

One turned red and looked down, the other smiled knowingly feeling assured.

"D—didja find a hot British girl to date while I was gone?" she asked, not daring to look him in the eyes. He smirked and took a step forward. "It's nice to know you at least still care about me." She turned her head towards him, her eyes hot with fury. "Of course I still care about you! I've always cared about you!" Ashamed of her sudden exclamation, she looked down on the ground. He took another step forward, effectively closing the wide gap between them. "Oh? Mind showing me how much you care?" he asked with a suggestive tone. Her cheeks betrayed her true emotions as they were painted a deep scarlet. "Y—you're still the same perverted guy!" she exclaimed as he smiled. "But you're not quite the same, my little Amu."

Silence. Neither was ever the most articulate person, and both had no clue what to say at the moment. The awkward silence only grew in capacity, shrouding the both of them. She bit her lip again. He took a step back, then proceeded to pace around the room.

_This is ridiculous_, both of them thought. Had they waited all this time, four freaking years, just for this awkward moment?

She drew a deep breath. She was sixteen, in her junior year of high school, and had matured from her fifth-grade self. He turned his body to face her. He was twenty-one, had graduated from college, and had learned the quality of honesty.

They each took a step forward and fell into each other's arms. There were no words that needed to be said, no extra actions that needed to be done. Simply being in the other's presence for now would be good enough. They grasped tightly onto the other, not wanting to ever let go, savoring this unbelievable moment when for both of them, they swore they could see the tight bond that had held them together for these long years. Though it was slightly tattered and chewed up, it was there nonetheless. The other's long-termed absence had not been good for neither of them. Now was the moment they had been waiting for these four years.

They held on tightly to the other, holding on tightly to their immeasurable love.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Long time no see, fellow readers (if any old readers are still reading this). If you still haven't noticed, I've basically given up on FanFiction and am trying to move on to creating my own characters. Of course, I'll hopefully still drop a piece or two around here when I have the time. Hope you've enjoyed this short piece, my (hopefully realistic) interpretation of the one-word prompt "love."**

_Edited: 01/20/12_


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